Reuters
As millions of Chinese attempt to return home after New Year celebrations, irate travelers are seen smashing computers and chairs at one airport

A "riot" broke out at a major Chinese airport on Thursday night after more than 2,000 passengers were left stranded because of heavy snow.

Furious, marauding passengers were seen "smashing computers and chairs" at Xinzheng International Airport in Zhenghou, Henan province, the Global Times newspaper reported.

One passenger gained access to the airport's control room where she "beat" staff and doused one employee with an unidentified beverage, the Henan Business Daily said.

"Are you allowed to vandalise an airport just because your plane is delayed?" asked one incredulous micro-blogger. "Why didn't the police take action?"

Photographs posted on Chinese social media showed the aftermath of the disturbance, which came during the annual travel rush at the end of Chinese New Year festivities.

The images showed passengers clambering over check-in counters, debris scattered over the airport's main concourse and police apparently trying to calm the crowds.

Advertisement

One picture showed a sign for Southern Airlines that appeared to have been half-ripped from the wall while another showed people sitting on top of an X-ray machine.

The violence came on the last day of China's seven-day "Spring Festival" holiday as tens of millions of travellers attempted to return home after visiting relatives during the Lunar New Year celebrations.

At around 4.30pm heavy snow forced Zhengzhou's airport to close and caused around 100 flights to be delayed, according to local reports.

Between then and 10pm, when the airport reopened, irate passengers reportedly vented their anger by hurling furniture and equipment around the packed terminal.

One exasperated airport employee took to the Twitter-like micro-blog Weibo to voice her outrage at what state media labelled a "riot".

Advertisement

"We have been working for 24 hours, non-stop, without closing our eyes," the woman wrote, in a post that was later deleted. "We dare not go outside [the office] since we would be surrounded and verbally abused."

China's commercial airline industry has been growing at breakneck pace since the turn of the century and the country is expected to have at least 230 airports by the end of next year.

Yet the industry has struggled to keep up with demand, leading to frequent delays and increasingly violent episodes of "air rage".

The pressures on airports are particularly severe during the 40-day "Spring Festival" travel season. This year Chinese travellers are expected to undertake a massive 3.62 billion trips between mid-January and the end of February.

In March last year a British businessman recounted witnessing an elderly man being applauded by other passengers after he attacked a stewardess in response to a four hour delay.

Advertisement

"He went completely mental and stormed up the plane and into the business class. I heard a punch and looked up and he was attacking the stewardess," Graham Fewkes told Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.

"What surprised me was that passengers were applauding as the man was hitting her."

Such attacks have prompted drastic measures. Hong Kong Airlines now requires its staff to undergo six hours mandatory training in Wing Chun, a martial art.

"Kung Fu training is widely seen as a way of responding to [air rage]," state media reported last year. "Many believe it will make angry travellers think twice about resorting to violence."

On Friday, Chinese internet users greeted reports of the riot with a mixture of anger and understanding.

Advertisement

"While we should condemn all the smashing, making passengers wait for hours, without offering them an explanation, food or accommodation [is unacceptable]," wrote one. "How could they expect those with hot-tempers to keep their cool?"